Friday, April 28, 2006

This morning I opened the 4th of the Bloggers Blends, the New Media Mavericks. It's a medium roast from the prized Tarrazu region of Costa Rica according to the label. It's definitely bolder than Bloggers Boot Up Blend and more in line with Late Night Log In but it came across as a bit smoother than Log In.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

So I managed to take enough time this morning to brew up a 3rd blend to try, Bloggers Boot Up Blend. At least to my sleepy, "not yet ready to take on the office" taste buds, it struck me as being right between Beach Blast and Late Night Log In in terms of strength.

I'm still favoring Beach Blast as the top choice thus far but I have three to go before declaring a clear winner. Boot Up Blend is quite a nice breakfast brew with a satisfying, relatively smooth finish. It's a nice middle of the road, medium blend that will certainly satisfy a morning coffee drinker's needs.

More information on the types of beans and where they are grown can be had at the Boca Java web site. The have a decent deal going on the 6 blends right now with either a hat or a mug thrown in. Not bad. (-;

And an update from my hubby, he's voting for Beach Blast over Late Night Log In as well at the moment, but he hasn't tasted Boot Up Blend yet.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

I'm going to try all of the blends in the Bloggers series straight — no sugar, milk, cream, creamer — to see how they stack up to some of our long-standing favorites. Then I'll do what my coffee-snob friends despise and add that packet of sugar and milk or cream to see how they compare to other coffee as I normally drink it.

So, the package of 6 Bloggers Blends arrived the other day and the first one we (my husband and I) tried was the Bloggers Beach Blast. To quote from the Boca Java description, "This luscious flavored coffee will make your blog! Featuring a tantalizing combination of chocolate and caramel." And a tasty brew it is! I'm generally not much on flavored coffee blends but this one is smooth and subtle. The flavoring is not overpowing and I actually like it straight — black. That's unusual, as I generally like at least a little milk or cream(er) in my coffee and often that packet of sugar my coffee-snob friends avoid. This one may make the short list for blends we keep on hand regularly.

The second brew I tried, Late Night Log In, is stronger in flavor but still quite tasty. I like this one better with some creamer (I tried a vanilla creamer with just a little milk since the flavored creamers are always too sweet on their own for my taste). This is definitely a bolder roast but it doesn't leave a bitter or acidic taste like some darker roasts or European blends. I tend to steer clear of the really strong roasts as they tend to haunt me with heartburn. )-:

I've tried other mail order brews as well as large national chains (not just Starbuck's ;-). So far, the Bloggers Blends I've tasted are every bit as good and in a reasonable price range compared to some of the better brews I've enjoyed. I have 4 more blends to try and hope to get them all brewed sometime in the next 5-7 days. So far, I'm pretty impressed with two the Bloggers Blends I've tasted so far.

Friday, April 21, 2006

It has arrived... an aromatic package brimming with a 6 blends of fragrant beans begging to be ground and made into the elixir that keeps us surfing, typing and generally functional. I'll be tasting each of the 6 Boca Java blends over the next week or so. In the mean time you can check out more information at Blogger's Fuel.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Coffee... what can I say, full-time job, 4 year old son, teaching in my spare time... coffee is a MUST!

Just time for a few recommendations that find appeal in our household.

We're trying a new "coffee club" - Boca Java. I haven't had enough of it for full comparison with other blends we like but thus far it is comparing favorably (flavorably?) with others we've tried. I like their signature blend Boca Sunrise and am about to try out a few more in the coming weeks. I'm tempted, since the name is utterly appropriate and they are giving a mug for a short while, to try the Blogger's Blends and see whether they will push me off the other name brands I'm used to consuming in fair quantity throughout the week. (-;

Wow, it's been a while since I've penned anything here. Lot's going on with full-time career, 4 year old son and lots of other interests.

So, since the last time I blogged I've bitten the bullet and gotten a video iPod. What a wonderful piece of technology. Now I can quietly watch the West Wing and Gilmore Girls without explaining the language and details of the shows to my 4 year old. Loving it!

An absolute must if you are a Mac user with a video iPod is Elgato's EyeTV (see my prior blog EyeTV Rocks!). The only thing I can add there is they've done a super job of making it a snap to add recorded video to the iPod.

I've gotten a couple new Macs recently. A new tower at work and a new one at home. I decided to pounce on some good pricing before the Intel Macs and haven't gotten my hands on one of those yet. I'm continuing to read with interest all of the developments with running the dreaded Windows on the Intel Macs. Truly, there is no good reason NOT to buy a Mac these days, which is music to the ears of Apple shareholders!